The presser foot holds the fabric or layers of cloth firmly while an automatic cloth cutting machine cuts through such cloth. The presser foot is conventionally carried at the end portion of a rod slidably mounted on or in the drive casing of the cloth cutting machine. When the machine is inoperative, it is desirable for the presser foot rod to slide to the its extended position, such that the sharp blade of the cloth cutting machine is shielded to assist in preventing inadvertent contact by the operator. A safety device incorporating features of the present invention can be readily mounted on a cloth cutting machine of the type generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,627.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a safety device which assists in shielding the cutting blade of an automatic cloth cutting machine while the machine is inoperative.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a safety device which secures the presser foot rod at a selected location during cutting operations, and which automatically releases the presser foot rod such that it can slide to its blade shielding position when the machine is not in use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a safety device which can be inexpensively manufactured and readily installed on new and existing cloth cutting machines to enhance the safety with which such machines are operated.